Tears of the Hart
by reilert79
Summary: Jonathan receives troubling emails from an employee; Jennifer finds out a dark secret about a friend.
1. Chapter 1

***Willow Pond***

Jennifer is at home, lying in bed with her coffee. Jonathan had to go on a business trip 3 days ago, and is supposed to fly back this morning and then go straight to the office. This afternoon when he comes home can't come fast enough.

She dozes off and a short time later, wakes up to the phone ringing.

"Hello?"

"I love you".

"I love you too, and I can't wait to see you".

"I have missed you so much. As soon as this meeting is over, I am coming home".

"Are you in the meeting right now?"

"It's going on in the next room. I got an emergency call, and took that, but I couldn't go back in there without calling you and hearing your voice".

"If you'd like, I can come sit in on the meeting with you, darling".

"If you do that, I won't be able to control myself. I have missed you terribly".

"Well then, I suggest you get the meeting over with, and come home, sailor".

"I think I might have to do just that. Do we have anything on the calendar for tonight?"

"Yes, now that you mention it, our calendar is all filled".

"Filled with what?"

"Getting reacquainted".

"I am all for that".

"How long is the meeting supposed to last?"

"A few more hours. I think I might have Kelly order lunch for everyone and we can just push through".

"I missed you so much, darling. I haven't slept well in 3 nights without you".

"Same here. I love you and I will be home soon".

"I love you too, and I can't wait to see you".

"I will make it worth your while. I love you, Red".

"I love you too, Jonathan Charles".

She blew him a kiss as she hung up the phone, and started counting down the hours till he was home.

Being apart was hard, no doubt. However, reuniting was worth it.

***Hart Industries***

The board meeting was extremely successful. Everyone approved almost everything he mentioned, and the board only asked for further research on one item, which made Jonathan happy.

One of the board members wanted to do a donation drive to benefit a local homeless shelter. She mentioned that they could take up gently used bags, purses, outfits, shoes and jackets and then Hart Industries could donate them to a local homeless shelter as part of their charitable donations they made every year. For every ten items that were donated, the employee would receive one ½ day of vacation. Jonathan was all for it, so they voted unanimously to do it.

He figured Jennifer would be more than willing to help sort and organize the donations.

He looked at the clock, and saw that it was 2:45. The meeting was over, so he told Kelly he was headed home, and that he would see her Monday.

He headed out, stopping only to pick up some flowers for Jennifer.

***Willow Pond***

Jennifer was on the couch, writing on her laptop, when she heard the gate open through the intercom. She was so excited.

She jumped up and had the door open before he parked the car.

She ran to him and jumped into his arms.

After a very long, sensual, passionate kiss, she grabbed his hand and they walked inside.

They settled on the couch, and kissed and cuddled some more.

"I missed you".

"I missed you too".

She was running her fingers through his hair and kissing him.

"This house is so lonely without you here".

"I missed you too, darling. The hotel room wasn't any fun for me either".

She straddled him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"How was your meeting?"

She was kissing his neck while he was trying to tell her how the meeting went, and it was increasingly harder for him to talk to her.

"Jennifer….I signed you up for something, and we need to talk about it".

"Later", she whispered.

She kissed him for a few minutes and nibbled on his bottom lip, which was his favorite, and then pulled him down on to the couch so that he was laying on top of her.

She kissed him and started undoing his neck tie and his dress shirt, and then ran her fingernails all across his back.

He was consumed with kissing her neck and hugging her tight.

"Darling…"

She reached behind her and took her bra off, as he left a trail of kisses down her chest while he unbuttoned her blouse.

"I'm on it, babe….don't worry".

She kissed his forehead as he got her completely undressed, and then she reached down to do the same to him.

He reached over and got them a blanket, and wrapped them up in it. They laid there kissing and cuddling for a few minutes, and exchanged a few "I love you's", and then she reached down and guided him to where she wanted him.

"Not yet, baby".

"Darling….it's been 3 days….please….."

"Not yet…soon, baby. Soon".

He was enjoying teasing her, and feeling her shudder at the feel of his kisses on her nipples and abdomen.

She pulled his mouth to hers and kissed him passionately.

"Come on, darling…."

"Almost, baby".

"Jonathan!"

"Ok, baby…" He gave her another neck kiss, and then entered her, and found her center.

"Oh, baby…."

"You feel so good".

She tightened around him as he crushed his lips on hers, and then nibbled her earlobe.

He nibbled her jawbone, as he filled her, and relaxed on top of her, after they both went over the edge together.

After a few minutes of light kissing and basic recovering, she looked him in the eyes.

"Welcome home, Mr. H."

"Always glad to be with you, Mrs. H.".

She scratched his back for him while he laid on her, and loved hearing him moan in delight.

She whispered to him as she scratched his back "You should come home early more often, darling".

He leaned up and kissed her. "Maybe I will".

They laid there for a few more hours, and then she got up and made them dinner.

He came and helped her in the kitchen by setting the table, and getting their drinks.

"Darling, I never got to tell you about what I signed you up for".

"Oh, that's right. What is it?"

"Well, the board met today, and they want to do a donation drive. They are taking up gently used clothing, bags, purses, shoes, and donating them to a local shelter to help people get back on their feet. For every ten items that an employee donates, they will get a ½ day of paid vacation time. So, we said we needed someone to sort the donations into women's clothes, men's clothes, and the different types, and I decided that you would be perfect for that".

"Oh you did?" She was grinning at him.

"Yes, because nobody organizes things like you do. And, you will be able to decide what category the clothes go in. The only question is, do we want to organize here at the house, or at the office?"

"Office. Definitely at the office".

"Office it is. You can have the one next to mine".

"Great. When do you want me to do this?"

"Well, we are going to tell the employees tomorrow, and we are going to take donations for the next two weeks. So, probably in 2 weeks or so, we will start organizing".

"Perfect".

They had a nice dinner, and then he helped her clean up the kitchen.

They decided to watch a movie in bed.

Jonathan got it all set up, while Jennifer changed into her pajamas, and got the bed ready.

She climbed into bed and snuggled up to him, and he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close.

"I missed you so much, darling".

"I missed you too".

He kissed her jawbone, as the movie started.

"Darling, what movie did you pick?"

She turned back to look at him.

"Dr. Zhivago".

"Darling, we never make it through that movie".

He nuzzled her neck.

"I know. I hope tonight we continue our record".

She chuckled and gave his arm a squeeze.

"You are so crazy".

"Only about you".

She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank goodness".

He kissed her passionately, and laid her down on the bed, moving to lay over her, as he returned her kisses.

They made love for a few hours, and then fell asleep, wrapped up in each other's arms.

***A week later***

Jennifer was lying in bed, asleep. Jonathan was lying next to her, watching her sleep.

His alarm went off a few minutes later, and he reached over and turned it off.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek, and whispered, "You are so beautiful".

He eased out of bed, being careful not to wake her, and headed to take a shower.

The warm water felt so good as it washed over him, that he stood there under the water for a few minutes.

She woke up, and heard the shower running, and decided to surprise him.

She jumped into the shower with him, and began to tease him as she ran her hands all over his body, with the soap.

He turned around, kissed her passionately, and wrapped his arms around her.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, as he backed them up against the wall.

He was kissing her neck and squeezing her breasts. She moaned out in delight, and ran her fingers through his hair.

He entered her, and brought her to the brink in a few thrusts, and then they relaxed against the wall.

He was nuzzling her neck again.

"You sure know how to make a shower enjoyable, Red".

"You made it good for me too, Jonathan Charles".

They climbed out of the shower, and dried off together, and she went and put a robe on, and then headed to make them some coffee.

He found her in the kitchen.

He came up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her head.

"What do you have going on today?"

"I am having lunch with Susan Kendall, and then I have a hair appointment this afternoon".

"Perfect. Well, I have a meeting at 2, and then I should be home around 5, or 5:30. You feel up to going to La Scala?"

"Sounds perfect". She handed him his coffee.

"Want me to make you some breakfast?"

"No, we are having a breakfast meeting this morning".

"Oh, alright. Well, have a good day".

She leaned up to kiss him a few times.

"Bye darling, I love you".

He kissed her a few times and then left.

She headed to take a proper shower, and get dressed for the day.

***The Bistro***

Jennifer met Susan at the Bistro at 11, and they had a nice lunch. Jennifer told Susan all about how she was in charge of organizing the donations for Hart Industries, and Susan said she wanted her clinic to participate in that as well.

"Perfect! We are only taking donations for 2 weeks, so when you have everything your employees are donating, call me and we will come pick it up".

"Is Jonathan offering an incentive to those who donate?"

"Yes. Every 10 items gets you a ½ days vacation".

"That's a wonderful idea". She thought for a moment.

"I think I will tell them that if everyone donates 10 items, we will close an extra day at Thanksgiving and Christmas".

Jennifer nodded in agreement.

"Well, thanks for meeting me for lunch, but I gotta get back to my patients."

"My pleasure. I am sure we will see you soon".

Susan left, and Jennifer stayed behind to finish her drink.

***Hart Industries***

Jonathan was in his office, and decided to check his email.

He had a few emails from business contacts, and a few from employees. One that caught his eye was from "Anonymous".

He opened it, and then began to read.

"I work for you. You are always so complimentary to me, and so nice and polite and kind, and you always praise me for my work. However, I must tell you-while I appreciate what you say to me, I don't feel that it's true. I feel like the world will be better off without me. I don't know what I am going to do, or how I am going to do it, but I know that sometime soon, I am going to end my life, and I just wanted you to know that I appreciate your kindness. I just can't take this any longer. I saw the flyer about the donation drive- When I am gone, I want my entire wardrobe donated, and I want you to disperse my vacation days to the rest of the company".

Jonathan was stunned. He racked his brain trying to figure out who the sender of the email could be. Nobody in the office had been displaying any peculiar behavior lately. He decided to have IT trace it, and then he would figure out the next step.


	2. Chapter 2

***Willow Pond***

Jennifer returned home, and started making dinner for her and Jonathan. She couldn't wait to tell him about Susan wanting her clinic to partner with Hart Industries for the donations.

She decided to make a lasagna, and would pop it in the oven when he got home. She had music turned up, and poured herself a glass of wine. She was in a wonderful mood, she just needed Jonathan to come home.

She finished the lasagna, and had it waiting on the stove. She grabbed her wine and headed to the couch to wait on Jonathan.

She didn't feel tired, but she dozed off right there on the couch. She woke up to Jonathan coming in the door. He had a big bouquet of flowers and a bottle of champagne, and a couple bags with him.

"Honey, I'm home!", he sang out.

"Honey, I'm glad", she responded.

He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her.

"What's all this?"

"Well, the flowers are just because. The champagne is because I noticed this morning we were down to two bottles in the fridge, and these bags, are dinner, so you don't have to cook".

"Oh. Well, I did cook, but it'll keep. Let me just wrap it and put it in the freezer."

She rolled off the couch and came around to the back of the couch where he was standing.

She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You are so thoughtful".

She gave him a couple kisses, and then they headed to the kitchen.

After she had wrapped the lasagna and put it in the freezer, she began to unpack the dinner he had brought.

All of her favorites from 3 different restaurants. Chili from Chasen's, fresh pasta and salad from La Scala, toasted ravioli from Alejandro's. Each portion was big enough for two.

"Darling, you didn't have to do this".

"Well, yes I did".

He wrapped his hands around her waist while she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I got an email today from an anonymous source, and the email indicated that the sender is an employee of mine, and that they intend to commit suicide. They stated that they more than appreciate how kind and complimentary I am, and how they love that I see their potential, but that it's not enough, and that one day soon, they won't be around any longer. I am having it traced in hopes that we can find the person before it's too late, but it started me thinking that this person is probably well loved by everyone, and just doesn't see it. So, I wanted to make sure that you, the most important person in my life, without a doubt knows that I love you more than life itself and that I fall more in love with you each and every day".

He leaned forward and kissed her.

"Darling…I promise you, there are no doubts in my mind about your love for me or mine for you. I would never harm myself in that way, or harm you either."

"I know. I am just saying, we all a need a reminder sometimes to tell people that we love them."

She kissed him.

"I love you, more than words can say".

He kissed her back, and then they moved forward with dinner.

As they ate, she filled him in about Susan and how the clinic wanted to partner with Hart Industries for the donation.

"She is going to collect things at her clinic and then bring them to us".

"Great! The more the merrier".

They took turns feeding each other the toasted ravioli, and drinking the champagne. After they were finished eating, they cleaned up the kitchen, and then decided to spend some time in the hot tub.

They got all settled in the hot tub, and Jennifer moved to sit behind Jonathan, and started giving him a backrub.

"Oh, that feels amazing".

"You deserve it, darling. You always work so hard to take care of everyone else, so tonight, I am going to spoil you for a little bit".

She gave him an extra-long back massage and then wrapped her legs around his waist and leaned him back. His head was right underneath her chin. She started scratching his chest, and playing with his chest hair.

"You got quiet on me, darling. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I am just worried about the person I got the email from".

"Darling, your IT person will trace it and tell you who it is…you have the best IT team in the business, you know that. And we will just see to it that this person gets the help they need".

He nodded slowly.

"I just feel bad for not being able to spot the signs…it shouldn't take an email to me for me to realize that someone is struggling".

"Darling, most people are very good at hiding how they are feeling. They might be struggling every hour of the day except while they are work. This person, whomever they are, might simply not be able to keep up the act any longer".

"That's a good point. I just feel like we need to do something, is all".

She loved on him some, and tried to make him feel better. But they both knew that he wouldn't feel better till he heard from IT.

They soaked a little while longer, and then got out. He wrapped a towel around her and pulled her close to him.

He leaned down and kissed her a few times and then they walked inside.

They both got changed for bed, and decided to watch a movie on TV.

Jonathan made the room dark, like Jennifer liked, and they got all comfy and snuggled up together under the covers. About halfway through the movie, Jennifer got up to get some water, and got back in bed, rubbing her temples.

"What is it, are you alright?"

"Just a bit of a headache. I'm hoping it will go away quickly".

He got up and got her a warm washcloth, and some aspirin, and brought it back to her in bed.

He handed her the aspirin, and after she took them, he put the washcloth on her neck, and they laid back down. He snuggled up behind her, and started rubbing her shoulders and her temples while they tried to finish the movie.

Jennifer fell asleep about 10 minutes later. Jonathan covered her with the bedspread, and held her, as he turned off the TV. Just as he was about to fall asleep himself, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Hart? It's Jason, in IT. I was tracing that email, and it appears as though it was sent from a burner phone, and the name the phone is registered to came back as Jane Doe. I am sorry, sir, but there isn't any way to tell who this Jane Doe is".

"Thanks for your good work, Jason. I will let you know if I get another one".

"Goodnight, sir".

They hung up, and Jonathan stared into the darkness, trying to figure it all out.

***The next morning***

Jennifer woke up just before Jonathan's alarm went off, and rolled over and snuggled up to him.

She lightly kissed his cheek, and then settled onto his chest, and wrapped her arms around him.

He began to wake up, and squeezed her tighter.

"I love waking up with you".

"I love waking up with you too, darling".

The room was still dark, and Jennifer could barely see him.

"Do you have to go in early this morning?"

"Not officially."

"You know I love it when you are official". She lightly kissed his neck.

They both heard the clap of thunder, and the storm raging outside begin, as the rain pelted their windows.

Jonathan stretched as he wrapped his arms around her, and rolled her to her back, so that he was on top of her.

They shared a very passionate kiss, and he began to slip her nightgown off of her.

He removed one shoulder strap, and kissed her shoulder, before moving to the other one. He slid the nightgown down to her waist, and kissed her nipples as he squeezed her breasts, making her moan in delight.

She tugged his pajama bottoms off him, and squeezed his butt.

"I love it when you go commando in your pajamas".

"Me too". He buried his face in her neck, hitting that one spot that made her arch her back every time.

He slowly pulled her lace panties off of her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

He crushed his lips on hers, as he entered her. She nibbled on his bottom lip, and ran her fingers through his hair.

He brought them both to the edge of desire, and she tightened around him.

"Now honey….Now".

"Ok baby".

He quickened his pace, before they both went over the edge together.

"Jona….than!"

He kissed her neck as they both came down from the exhilaration.

She lightly kissed his forehead, and gave him a back scratch as he laid on her.

The storm continued to rage on outside as they continued to lay there in the bed, all wrapped up together. Eventually, Jonathan had to get up and start getting ready. Jennifer got up and went and made him breakfast and coffee for the both of them.

He found her in the kitchen, and kissed her cheek as he came up behind her.

"Can I help?"

"No, cause it's all done".

She handed him his plate of bacon and eggs and then made his coffee just the way he liked, and walked over to the table. He pulled her onto his lap, and held her there as he ate.

She sat in his lap until he was finished eating, and then after a few long kisses, they got up so he could leave.

She kissed him goodbye at the door, and then went to get ready and dressed for the day.

She didn't really have anything planned for the day, other than researching a topic for a new article.

It was around 9:45 a.m., when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mrs. Hart? This is Deanne, from the office. Mr. Hart is asking that you come to the office, right away".

"Ok. Is he alright?"

"Yes, he's fine. He just needs to see you, is all".

"Ok, I will be right there".

She hung up, and grabbed her purse and keys and headed to Hart Industries.

***Hart Industries***

Jennifer parked in the parking garage, and went upstairs to Jonathan's office.

Deanne wasn't at her desk, so she just went on in to Jonathan's office.

He was turned around in his desk chair, facing the window. He was on a phone call.

She quietly locked the door behind her, and went over to him.

She stood behind his desk chair, and started giving him a shoulder massage. He craned his neck to see who it was, and blew her a kiss.

He pointed to the phone and indicated that it was taking a long time.

She massaged his tense spots, and waited patiently for his phone call to end.

Finally, he was able to hang up and focus on her.

"Hi, darling". He stood up to kiss her.

"Hi yourself".

She kissed him a few times, and fixed his hair.

He had his arms around her waist.

"This is a nice treat".

"Well, when Deanne called and said that you needed to see me, I just figured you wanted to continue our lovely morning".

"Oh, well of course, I am always up for that. However, I asked her to call you for a different reason."

"What's that?"

"We sent out the email about the donations yesterday morning, and we had an overwhelming response. And the room is filling up, and I thought you might want to get a head start on organizing everything".

"Oh". She looked away from him.

He tickled her midsection as he pulled her close.

"You know I am always happy to see you".

"Darling…how long has it been since we went away together, just the two of us?"

"A couple months, I think".

"Well, then I think it's high time we plan a rainy weekend to the cabin or we fly off to some undisclosed location for a bit, just the two of us. No interruptions, no distractions, just you and me".

He kissed her.

"That would be nice, wouldn't it?"

She nodded.

"Ok, show me to the place".

They walked out of the office and down the hall to the next one.

"Here it is".

There were piles and piles of clothes on the floor.

"Darling, did you guys make the employees fill out a form or anything about what they donated?"

"Just their name and how many items".

"Ok. Do you think it's possible that maybe I could overhaul this?"

"What do you want to do?"

"I am probably going to need some people to help me. But I want to make a new form, where they fill out their name, department, number of items, and then have them list what items they donated. That way, we can make sure that their items go into the right spot. And if something gets accidentally donated, we can locate it faster. And then I think we will need a few people to help me go through the items, check the pockets, check for damage. Stuff like that".

He thought for a minute.

"How about this? I will get you a laptop, and I will call over to our fashion division, and see if they can send us some student helpers".

"Perfect".

"And then I will order in lunch for the both of us, and then tonight, if you play your cards right, I just might take you to dinner".

He kissed her cheek.

"Sounds wonderful".

She kissed him, and he headed back to his office, while she started going through the papers that the employees had filled out.

She sat down on the couch and was organizing the papers by gender.

He came back in a few minutes later with a laptop for her to use, and told her that the fashion division would be sending 3 students over, within the hour, to help her.

"I agreed to let them get credit for this, so they are going to have a form for you to sign indicating how long they were here, and all that. You initial it, and then send them to me and I will sign it also to verify it".

"Thanks, baby".

She decided she would enter all the forms into a spread sheet, and have the girls do the sorting and going through the pockets and such.

She made a list of those who had donated so far, and when she was finished, she took the list to Jonathan, and asked him to email all of them and have them come to the donation office before they left that day.

She made a new form for the employees to fill out, and then printed a bunch of them off.

Within 2 hours, she had the girls separating all of the donations, she had organized all of the forms, and she had rearranged the room, so that it was easier to get around in.

Jonathan had ordered them lunch, and came to tell her it was ready.

"Ok girls, I will be just down the hall if you need me".

"Yes, ma'am".

Jennifer joined Jonathan in his office, and she told him everything she had done so far.

"Babe, I knew you were perfect for this-you've only been here a couple hours and you already overhauled everything".

She leaned over and kissed him.

They had a nice lunch, and when they were finished, he gathered up the to-go containers, and grabbed a trash bag.

"I have a meeting in 10 minutes, darling. I will see you afterwards. How long do you think you will be here?"

"Till the office closes, most likely".

"Great".

She kissed him and headed back to the office she was using.

The girls were almost done organizing the items so far, and she was very pleased with their progress.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with her talking to the employees who had already donated, and having them show her what they had donated.

Around 4:30, she signed the girl's time sheets and sent them to Jonathan.

She made a list of what they needed going forward.

About 10 minutes later, she put a note on the door to bring donations to Jonathan's office, and then headed there with the list.

He was wrapping up some paperwork, and was more than happy for her to distract him.

They left for dinner at 5:30, and after a nice dinner at La Scala, headed home.

***Willow Pond***

Jonathan and Jennifer came in, and got settled. It was beginning to storm again outside.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him.

"You are so beautiful".

"Well thank you". She gave him a light peck.

They decided to go upstairs and watch a movie in bed again. With the storm raging outside, their bedroom was a very cozy place.

Jennifer was changing into her nightgown, while Jonathan was waiting for her in bed. He pulled up his work laptop and checked his email.

Anonymous had sent another email.

It was short, and to the point.

"One day closer. He's never going to hurt me again".

Jonathan's heart sank. He had to find out who this person was.


	3. Chapter 3

***1 week later***

Jennifer pulled up to Hart Industries and parked. She had really hit the jackpot with the girls that the fashion division had sent to help with this. Mallory, Calista, and Fallon had proven to be a god send to Jennifer, and had proven that they were able to run the donations office when she wasn't there. After one week, it was running like a well-oiled machine.

Just as Jennifer parked her car, her car phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Jennifer, hi, it's Susan. Listen, I have collected all of the donations from my employees, so I was wondering if I can bring them over in a little bit."

"Sure, bring them up to Jonathan's office. When you get off the elevator, the donation room is the second room on the right. If I am not in there, there will be 3 girls who can help you".

"Perfect. See you soon".

Jennifer hung up, and went inside.

"Good morning girls".

"Hello. We got tons of donations this morning".

"Great! I brought some more of the heavy duty trash bags for us to put the purses in. And I was thinking, we should probably use boxes for the rest. I am going to talk to my husband see if his shipping line can help us out".

She got caught up on the paperwork, and then headed down to Jonathan's office.

"Hi darling".

"Hi gorgeous".

She leaned down and kissed him and then leaned against his desk.

"Listen, darling, we have gotten so many more donations than I imagined. I don't know how we are going to get them to the shelter. As it is right now, the piles of clothes are almost as tall as me and the girls. If we try to load up my Porsche and take them to the shelter ourselves, it would take us weeks".

"Well, what if I had our shipping line send over some packers, and they packed the clothes into boxes, and then used a shipping truck to drive them over there and unload them?"

She squeezed his chin. "You read my mind, darling".

She put her hands on his shoulders.

"Can you see if they can send the packers today, and maybe pack what we have already collected and inventoried, and store it till it's time to deliver?"

"I will be more than happy to make that call and see if that can be arranged. If nothing else, they will send packers and boxes, I am sure. If we have to, we can store the boxes in the banquet room downstairs".

She spent a few more minutes with him, and then headed back to the donation office.

Susan came in a few minutes later, and they chatted while the girls inventoried her donations.

They made a pile of her stuff so they could go through the pockets and check for damage later.

"Well, thanks for letting me partner with you guys for this. My staff was very willing to donate".

"No problem".

"So what have you and Jonathan been up to lately?"

"Just the basics. We are trying to find a weekend where we can take a trip somewhere together, but we haven't planned it yet".

"That sounds wonderful".

"Yes, hopefully we can find a quiet place where we won't be disturbed by anyone".

"I can't remember the last time I took a vacation. It's been years, I think".

They chatted a little longer, and then Susan left to head back to the clinic.

Jennifer stayed at the office, and around 4 she headed to Jonathan's office.

She was sitting on the couch with him, while he was working on his laptop.

Just before they were about to head home, he checked his email again.

HR had emailed that one of the employees in the accounting division, was racking up a lot of sick days used.

He read the attached file, and saw that this person missed at least 1-2 days a week. Always a medical excuse.

"What is it?"

"Well, HR says there is someone in accounting who is missing a lot of work. I am trying to figure out how to approach this to see if she's ok".

"Well, you could just ask her. I mean, if you phrase it from a caring standpoint, that is".

He nodded.

He buzzed the person and asked her to come to his office.

Jennifer turned to him. "Do you want some privacy?"

"No, you can stay".

She smiled at him.

Pretty soon, there was a knock on the door.

"Hi, Allyson, come on in. This is my wife, Jennifer".

"Hello, nice to meet you".

"Listen, we just wanted to see if you were ok. HR says that you are using a lot of sick days, and we are a family here, so if you need something-"

"I'm fine. I fell a few months ago, and I get serious migraines ever since. That's all".

"Oh, I get migraines as well. Have you found a treatment that works?"

"Not really. These glasses help, and hot showers, peace and quiet, the usual remedies".

Jennifer nodded.

Jennifer was studying her. She had on dark rimmed glasses and seemed to be wearing a lot of makeup. She could barely make out a bruise behind the glasses, but it was there, alright.

"Well, I just wanted you to know that if you need us, we are here for you, ok?"

"Thank you, sir".

She saw herself out, and then Jonathan and Jennifer looked at each other.

"Did you buy that?"

"Not really, but we can't pry".

"Did you see what I saw?"

"That depends, what did you see?"

"A black eye behind her glasses".

"No, I didn't see that".

"Well, if she is the sender of the emails and she is being abused, that would make sense when the sender says "I can't take it anymore".

"Yes, but it could also indicate other things, like mental illness".

Jennifer wrapped her arms around Jonathan's arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Darling, what if you emailed everyone and told them there was a mandatory meeting tomorrow morning, and at the meeting, you told everyone that you were going to provide the mental health mobile clinic to come and do mental health screenings? Maybe you could show a video about not committing suicide or something?"

"That's a great idea. And I think we might start a hotline, that is manned by volunteers, that would provide resources and a listening ear to someone who is having suicidal thoughts, or in any type of crisis, really. I could announce that too".

"That's a wonderful idea".

He turned and pulled her towards him.

"I get my best ideas when I am with you".

He kissed her a few times.

"Darling, I know that you are trying everything you can to help this person and figure out who it is, but you do realize that your best might not be enough, right? If they are determined to do it, that's their choice, unfortunately".

"I know. But I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try".

"I know. I would be the same way".

She kicked her shoes off and stretched her feet out and propped them up on the coffee table in front of them.

"I can't imagine feeling that helpless, that you have no other options left at all".

"I understand it. I felt like that a lot of times in the orphanage, before I met Max. When your plane was hijacked in Italy and I was refusing to believe that you were dead, I kept telling myself in the back of my mind that if it was true, I had no reason to go on without you."

Jennifer closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I hate that you felt that way".

"It's alright. A long time ago. But you mean so much to me, that without you, I have no interest in anything without you".

She kissed him.

"Me too".

They got up and got their stuff together to leave for the day.

"Darling, did the shipping line agree?"

"Yes. The packers will be here tomorrow at 1".

"Perfect!"

Jennifer and Jonathan held hands as they headed to the elevator.

She popped her head in the donations office and told the girls they could call it a day.

Jonathan locked the door behind them, and they headed to the elevator.

Jennifer silently decided that she was going to have to lift Jonathan's spirits, somehow.

***Willow Pond***

Jonathan and Jennifer came in the house and put their stuff down. Jennifer went to change clothes, while Jonathan was going through the mail.

She defrosted one of his favorite meals, and set about making the sides. Just as they were about to sit down to dinner, the phone rang. It was Jason from IT.

"Mr. Hart, I believe the sender of the email is Allyson, in accounting. I am saying that based on the fact that IP address matches the one that Jane Doe has been using".

"Ok, thank you."

"Sure thing, Mr. Hart".

"Thanks for your help, Jason".

They hung up, and Jonathan immediately went to the study and sent the email to everyone that there was a mandatory meeting of all employees in the amphitheater tomorrow at 10. He then sent an email to Allyson in accounting that he wanted to meet with her as soon as the meeting was over.

He came back to the table, to find Jennifer almost finished with her dinner.

"Sorry darling. That was important".

"It's alright".

She got up and did the dishes while he finished his dinner. He came over and brought her his plate, and set it down on the counter, and kissed her cheek.

She turned to him.

"The rest of the night, just you and me?"

"You got it".

She kissed him, and finished up the dishes.

They turned out the lights and headed upstairs.

She settled on the bed, and got his pillows all plumped like he loved them, and he joined her a few minutes later.

She got out the tingly stuff, and slid behind him and gave him a long backrub. He moved to his stomach and she straddled his back, so that she could give him a deeper back rub.

Pretty soon, he was snoring. She slowly leaned down and kissed his cheek, and then climbed off him, and covered him with a blanket. She got on her side of the bed, and got under the covers and went to sleep.

He woke up in the middle of the night, and it took him a minute to figure out what was going on. He climbed under the covers and snuggled up to her and kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry, darling", he whispered in her ear. She didn't wake up.

***The next morning***

He heard the phone ringing, around 6:15 a.m. He leaned over and grabbed it and handed it to Jennifer.

"It's for you".

She sleepily answered the phone.

"Hello?"

She listened for a minute. "Mmmhmmm…oh how awful. Thank you for letting us know…we will be there as soon as we can".

She reached over and turned on the light and grabbed a notepad and pencil, while Jonathan was trying to shield his eyes.

She wrote down an address and then hung up the phone.

She turned the light out again, and rolled over towards Jonathan, who was snoring.

"Jonathan….Jonathan…"

He puckered his lips for a kiss and rolled towards her.

"No, not that. The phone call".

"What was it?"

"It was a girl named Zadie. She said her sister died in the night and left a note that said you needed to be contacted at once".

He woke up a little more.

"Who was it?"

"Allyson Hanover".

"Oh, no."

"What is it?"

"Jason in IT thinks that Allyson was the one sending the anonymous emails".

"So we were right. I hate that".

Her heart melted, and she snuggled up to him.

"Well, I guess we better get up so we can go over there".

He kissed her and headed for the shower. She went downstairs and made coffee for both of them and took it back upstairs. He was out of the shower and in a towel, shaving. She handed him his coffee, and he kissed her as he took it from her.

She turned on the shower and began to disrobe.

"Jennifer….I'm sorry about last night".

"Nothing to be sorry for, darling".

She kissed him and got in the shower.

***Allyson's apartment***

Jonathan and Jennifer pulled up to Allyson's apartment, and parked.

They held hands as they walked up to the door.

Jonathan hesitated, and then knocked.

A young girl, about mid 20's, with long blonde hair, answered the door.

"Hi, I am Jonathan Hart, this is my wife Jennifer".

"Yes, please come in".

She closed the door behind them.

"Hi, I am Zadie, Allyson's sister. Thanks for coming".

She picked up a letter and showed it to them.

"Allyson left a note saying that you should be contacted right away. Here it is, if you want to see it. She also left a note addressed to you personally".

She picked it up and handed it to him.

Jennifer took the other note from her. It said: "I cannot do this anymore, I have done all that I can and it isn't enough. I have tried to get him help, to get me help, to get us help. Nobody listens. If you are reading this, either he killed me or I killed myself to get away from him. Sometimes love isn't enough. The only person who might be affected by my not being here is my boss, Jonathan Hart, at Hart Industries. He needs to be contacted right away so that he can hire someone for my position".

Jennifer looked at Jonathan. "Oh how sad".

Jonathan looked at Zadie.

"We are truly sorry for your loss". He handed Zadie a business card.

"Do you have other family?"

Zadie nodded.

"Our parents should be here soon. They said they were coming up immediately".

"Please give them that card and let them know that Hart Industries wants to cover the expenses for her services and for anything else they will need. That goes for you too".

"I will tell them."

"Did she have any children?"

"No. It was just her and her husband, Wade. He abused her, but she couldn't get away from him, as hard as she tried". She dabbed her eyes with a Kleenex.

"Where is he now?"

"They arrested him at their home about 2 hours ago. She had been living here with me while they sorted things out. He showed up and she told him she was done with him, and he took her and now she's gone".

He looked over at Jennifer and nodded.

She reached forward and patted Zadie's hand.

"Thank you so much for calling us, and we are truly sorry for your loss".

They stood to leave, and Zadie showed them out.

As they got in the car, Jennifer turned to him with concern in her eyes.

"Are you alright?"

He slowly nodded, as they drove to the office.

***Hart Industries***

They pulled up and parked, and went inside.

Jennifer ordered them breakfast from a diner across the street and had it delivered.

Jonathan sat down at his desk, and sent an email blast to the accounting department to come to his office at 9. He started making the arrangements for the Mobile Mental health unit to come the next week. He then began to make a list of talking points he wanted to say in the meeting.

Jennifer noticed he was reading the letter that Allyson had left behind. She decided not to ask him about it and only talk about it if he brought it up.

They ate breakfast together at his table, and after they were finished, she cleaned up for both of them, and then wrapped her arms around his neck from behind and kissed his cheek.

"I love you, I am going to the donation office. Come get me when you are headed to the amphitheater".

He patted her hand and turned to kiss her.

Jennifer walked into the donation office and saw that the girls were already there and working.

"Good morning".

"Hi Mrs. Hart".

"How are we coming on the donations from yesterday?"

"Almost done going through the pockets and such."

"Great! The packers are coming today to start boxing some of this stuff up".

Jennifer got caught up on the paperwork, and the girls continued to go through the pockets.

Just before 9:30, Jonathan peeked his head in the door.

"Darling, you ready?"

"Sure".

She turned to the girls. "Girls, I am going to be in the amphitheater if you need me".

"Yes ma'am".

She accompanied him to the amphitheater, where everyone was assembled.

He walked up to the podium, and she was right by his side.

"First of all, I want to thank you all for coming here today. I know I made it mandatory, but still, I am glad you are here. I have a few things to tell you. First, this morning, we lost one of our own. Allyson Hanover, one of our accountants passed away. I am not going to betray her privacy, and talk about how or why, but I am going to say this. If there is something that you need medically, please talk to me or someone here at Hart Industries. Don't keep things bottled up. She showed me that we need to do better at taking care of our employees. Without you guys, my dream for this company would have never materialized. I took a look at what we are missing, and I want you to know that we are making steps towards filling in the gaps. Our insurance plans will be more inclusive going forward. Also, next week, the mobile mental health unit will be here to provide free, confidential health screenings to anyone who needs them. And finally, we are going to start a hotline. I want to make it a division of Hart Industries, and I want to have it run by volunteers. It's going to be a crisis hotline, and we are going to provide resources for those who call in. This will take time to develop, so it will be slow going at first. However, I have faith that we will get it where it needs to be. If you volunteer to work the hotline, I will match the hours that you volunteer at the hotline with vacation time off, up to 3 days per month. And, I want to close by saying that I know that my beautiful wife and I are in the media a lot- jet setting to this place or that place, going to the opera, whatever. That doesn't mean that you cannot reach out for help if you need something. When I am gone, I always leave someone in charge. If I take my wife across the globe, I leave someone in charge, and that person knows how to reach me if they need to. If I can't be reached, then I make a point during my travels to check in. If you are in dire straits, please reach out to someone, and let them help you. We here at Hart Industries are a family, and family helps each other. Also, I want to take the time to let each of you know that I truly do appreciate everything you are doing here at Hart Industries. We have the best in the business, and we couldn't do any of this without you".

They all clapped for him, somewhat somberly, and then began to leave. Everyone was in shock about Allyson dying.

Jennifer and Jonathan headed back upstairs to his office. He kissed her as he left her at the donation office.

She walked back in and sat down. The girls were sitting on the floor next to the piles.

"Mrs. Hart, we found something in one of the donations."

"Oh, what is it?"

"It was a letter, it was in that purse."

They handed it to Jennifer.

It was a suicide note, unsigned.

She grabbed the purse and opened her laptop.

She opened Excel, and searched the document for the purse's description.

Excel highlighted the entry right away.

Jennifer was stunned. The purse had been donated by Susan Kendall.


	4. Chapter 4

***Jonathan's Office***

Jennifer told the girls she would be right back.

She grabbed the letter and headed to Jonathan's office.

He was on the phone, so she leaned up against his desk, and waited.

He rubbed her thigh while he tried to end his phone conversation.

She turned her hand over and they laced their fingers together.

He scooted back from the desk a little, and patted his lap. She climbed off the desk and sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He was lightly kissing her neck, strong enough for her to react but not strong enough for it to interrupt his phone call.

She gave him a few light kisses, and he was finally able to end the phone call.

After he hung up, he pulled her close for a nice kiss.

"Darling, I came in here because the girls found something alarming".

"What is it?"

"This. It was in one of the bags that was donated. And we know who it is. What I don't know is how to handle it, whether or not to say something or not".

"Who do you think it belongs to?"

She swallowed hard.

"Susan".

His jaw dropped open.

"Susan, as in Susan Kendall?"

She nodded.

"You're sure?"

"Yes. Darling, she was most efficient with her donations. She had every employee's donations bagged separately with their names on them, so we know for a fact that it was hers".

"Well, I think you should say something. You are her friend, if she will confide in anyone it would be you".

"I suppose you are right".

She went to climb off his lap.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the donation office, silly".

She kissed him a few times, and then headed back to the office.

The girls had gone through everything, and were finished with all the piles.

She signed their timesheets, thanked them for their help, and then they left.

The packers showed up right on time, to start boxing everything and labeling it.

Jennifer grabbed the phone, and called Susan.

"Susan, hi, it's Jennifer. Listen, I was wondering if you are free tomorrow for lunch?"

"Sure, where would you like to go?"

"Why don't you come to the house? I can have La Scala delivered, and we can just have some good old-fashioned girl talk".

"Sure. I don't have any appointments after 1, so how about 1:30? It will be a late lunch, but I won't have to rush off".

"Perfect".

"See you then".

They hung up, and Jennifer tried to feel good about it, but she had a knot in the pit of her stomach.

***The next morning***

Jonathan's alarm went off at 6. He turned it off and rolled over and wrapped his arms around Jennifer.

She turned toward him in his arms, and moaned, not wanting to wake up.

"Darling….do you have some extra time this morning?"

"Sure. What do you have in mind?"

"You".

"I love the way you think".

He rolled on top of her and wrapped his body around hers. They made mad, passionate, explosive love, and then spent their last few minutes snuggling and cuddling.

"Did you call Susan yet?"

"Yes, we are having lunch today. I told her to come here and I am going to order La Scala. That way we can really talk and we won't be interrupted".

"Great. I am sure it will go just fine".

He kissed her and then headed for the shower. Jennifer loved that he had so much faith in her. She just wished she was as optimistic about this as he was.

***Later that morning***

Jennifer had gotten everything all ready, and had ordered La Scala to be delivered at 1:15.

She figured she and Susan could eat on the patio, and then move into the den to the couches and have a cocktail.

She hadn't figured out how she was going to bring up the subject of the letter yet. Maybe see how the conversation goes and then bring it up? Maybe just ask her how she's doing and get some feelers happening first and then ask her about it? She was torn.

She had decided to wear black capri leggings, and a plum colored tunic with the shoulders cut out, and some stacked black and silver flip flops. Cute, but comfy and casual.

Susan showed up precisely at 1:30, and Jennifer had their lunch all laid out for them.

"Come in, come in".

"Thanks for inviting me-I need this in the worst way".

"Me too. Seems like we get stuck in cycles and patterns….a break from the pattern is nice every now and then".

"I completely agree".

They walked out to the patio and sat down.

Jennifer decided to do the feelers.

"So, how have you been?"

"Great, just busy. My days have been booked solid lately with back to back patients. I like that, but sometimes it's nice to have a break at some point throughout the day".

"I always found when I was under pressure working on an article, for a deadline or whatever, that those days were the ones when time went by the fastest".

"Yes, that's a bonus-you look up and 4 hours have gone by".

They shared some laughs about some gossip.

"How are you and Jonathan?"

"We are great. He had a scare at work this week, but I think he's ok".

"What happened? Is he alright?"

"Yes, it was an employee. He received these ominous emails, and they alluded to someone being abused and suicidal. And then we got a phone call early one morning from the employee's sister, that she had been killed by her husband. He felt responsible, like he should have seen it and stepped in".

"Oh that's awful".

They cleaned up their dishes, and Jennifer put them in the dishwasher after a quick rinse off, and then turned to Susan.

"Care to have a cocktail with me in the den?"

"Sure".

Jennifer made both of them cocktails, and they settled on the couch.

"Susan, I had another reason for asking you to come over here today".

"Oh, what is that?"

"Well, you brought in those donations, and I had the girls who were helping me go through each donated piece. Checking the pockets, making sure the zippers worked, things like that. And they found something in a purse that you donated, and they gave it to me."

"What was it?"

"This". She pulled it out from under a magazine on the coffee table and handed it to her.

Susan read over it and her face fell.

"I thought I had destroyed this".

"Are you ok? I mean really ok?"

Susan shrugged.

"I get up, I go to work, I see patients. All day long, I am telling people how to best take care of themselves and what to do for them to get well or get pregnant, or whatever they are trying to do. And then I leave, and I go home to an empty house. I have an ex-husband who sends me letters from prison telling me that it's my fault that he's in there in one sentence, and asking me for money in the other. I have two kids who flip back and forth between blaming me for their dad being in prison and feeling that he is responsible for his life, not me. And when I say flip, I mean that it could be months before they flop again. They insist on visiting him, and can't tell that the visits affect their moods afterwards. And I pour myself a drink to drown out the silence, and it doesn't work. And I think to myself that here I am telling people how to take care of themselves so they can live a long, happy life, and yet, there's nobody there to take care of me when I get home. Nobody wants to know how I am doing. My kids flipped, and I am just waiting for them to flop, and it's killing me".

Susan burst into tears, and Jennifer's heart broke. She reached out and took her hand.

"How long has it been since your kids flopped?"

"8 months. And it only lasted a few weeks, last time".

Jennifer handed her the Kleenex.

"How long ago did you write this?"

"It's been about 6 months, I suppose".

Susan looked at her.

"You know, I really thought that when I married Drew, that we would have it all. He owned a company, I was a doctor. We had two wonderful kids, and for a minute, life was great. But then, he changed. Started having affairs, started blaming me for everything, taking out his anger on me and the kids. Then, he killed his mistress and tried to kill Jonathan and went to prison. And I thought finally, maybe, me and the kids would be able to breathe in our own home without being yelled at. We could stop walking on eggshells, and start being normal people. And I consulted child psychiatrists and specialists, and they all told me to encourage a relationship between Drew and the kids. So, I would take them to visit him, and would wait while they visited. Every other Saturday. And some days, he would be in a good mood with them, and some days he wouldn't. And then Emily got mad when he told her that I wouldn't give him money so that meant he couldn't call her on her birthday. And Sean got upset when he realized that his dad had to do 20 years before he could even possibly get released, and it was starting to sink in just how long 20 years actually is. He would write me, begging me for commissary money. I wrote back and told him that we were divorced, and his commissary needs weren't my responsibility. His mom told me that she put 200 dollars each month in his account, so I know he gets what he needs. But he likes to play the kids against me, and I refuse to give in, and then he tells them that I don't care about him, and since he can't be there for their lifetime moments and can't call on their birthdays, that must mean that I don't care about them either. And they believe it and get mad at me. Some days, I can come home and be ok. Other nights, the silence is so loud it's deafening."

"Have you reached out to Emily and Sean?"

"Yes. Sean moved in with Drew's brother and his wife, up in Fresno, so he can be around someone like his dad, and can be close to the prison for visiting. Emily is living at the dorm in college, and when I call, she's never in. She never calls me to check on me or say hey or anything. But the weekends that she drives up to visit him, and it doesn't go well, my phone rings for sure. I don't get it. I tried my best to make sure that they were going to be ok, and that we would get through this as best we could. They always told me they didn't want me to remarry, so I never dated. They always told me that they were ok, but they clearly aren't, otherwise they wouldn't be blaming me. And there are some nights that I sit and think it would be so much easier if I wasn't here anymore for them to blame. I have built a successful medical practice, and I ensured that it can go on in perpetuity when I am gone, so my patients will be taken care of. I just don't know what else to do sometimes".

Jennifer patted her hand reassuringly.

"You have more than just your kids who would miss you. I would miss you dearly. Who would I tell all my secrets too? Jonathan knows everything about me, but he's not a girlfriend. I can't dish to him about our sex life, he's present for it. And your kids might be all over the place emotionally, but you only get one mom in this life, and nobody can replace her. I would know. Just like they didn't want you to replace Drew with someone else, they wouldn't want to replace you with someone else. I just know it".

Susan nodded.

"I don't ask for much, I really don't. I don't pry into their lives, I don't ask a lot of questions. I just need to hear an "I love you, Mom" every now and then. And I need them to understand that his killing his mistress and going to jail affected me as well as them-but it's a choice that he made, I didn't choose that for him".

Jennifer nodded.

"Did you have a plan?"

Susan nodded. "I thought about several ways, but couldn't go through with any of them".

"Why the purse?"

"I was going to do it at work, and I knew they would go through my doctor bag and my purse, so I knew it would be found".

"I hate that you felt this way. Why didn't you say something to me? I would have been glad to listen, you know that".

"I didn't want to bother you. You and Jonathan have the most idyllic, perfect life, and you didn't need me clouding things up".

"We have a good life, yes, but we aren't perfect. I fail at our marriage every day, and he would tell you that he does as well. What happens is, we love each other, and we are choosing to be together. You loved Drew and chose to be with him, but he didn't truly love you, or choose you. And that isn't your fault".

"So you and Jonathan have fights? Like normal couples?"

"Absolutely. And then we work it out, because at the end of the day, we are determined that we will be together. We got our second chance after that crazy ass priest thing, and we are holding tighter this time around. He isn't just my husband, he is my soulmate. We don't have sex, we make love to each other. There is a difference, but you have to feel the difference. When I dated Elliot, and Andy, and Preston, and even Jeff while we were separated, they would say they were making love to me, and it was adequate. There is absolutely nobody on the planet that can make me feel like Jonathan does, because he and I have this connection that we cannot have with anyone else. And when I was with Jeff, I thought about Jonathan every single time. I thought about him day and night. I was too prideful and too hurt to tell him I wanted him back, and I was so stuck on proving a point to him, that he had hurt me. I proved that point over and over for about 8 months, and it took him telling me that he would rather die in a car crash or from alcoholism than move on from me for me to realize that I wanted to be with him too. He loved me so much he didn't care that he was slowly killing himself. And I was miserable without him, too. I just didn't want to admit that I had been wrong to leave him".

"You never once thought about killing yourself?"

"No. I wasn't going to do that to my dad or my friends or to Jonathan."

Susan quietly sipped her cocktail.

"I feel so embarrassed."

"Don't be. I am not judging you. And the only other person who knows this exists is Jonathan. He is concerned about you too. You are absolutely entitled to feeling human emotions. And truth be told, you weren't exactly dealt the fairest hand in life".

She nodded.

"Why don't you take a day, and go spend it with Emily? Mother daughter time, get pedicures, see a movie, take her to dinner. Keep things light. Don't talk about Drew or anything negative unless she brings it up. Same with Sean. You and Sean could grab dinner and do whatever he wants to, and maybe they will realize they enjoy spending time with you again."

"That's a great idea. I think I just might do that this weekend".

They both sipped their cocktails in silence for a minute.

Jennifer looked at Susan.

"Are you sure you are ok?"

"I am fine. I decided a long time ago, that I wasn't going to do anything. I just want to, some nights. But I chicken out. Working in the ER and seeing how sometimes these things don't go as planned, will make you think twice".

"I bet so. I couldn't stomach working in an ER".

Susan looked at Jennifer, with a pained expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, Jennifer. I didn't mean to be such a downer".

"Nonsense. No apologies necessary. Friends take care of friends, and just like when you thought I had cancer and I didn't tell Jonathan, you took care of me. You took care of me after the home invasion, so I wasn't going to just ignore this. I had to see that you are ok".

"I will be. I think it's past time that I have a mom to kid chat with my children, and we lay some ground rules."

Jennifer nodded. "That's a start".

Susan set her cocktail glass on the table, and then put both hands on Jennifer's.

"Now, let's really talk. Are you and Jonathan doing anything especially romantic soon?"

"We have a long weekend planned to our cabin, or somewhere just the two of us, but we haven't picked the dates yet. We want somewhere especially rainy".

"Rainy? Really?"

"Oh yes. Rainy weather, especially thunderstorms, gets Jonathan….hot".

"Are you serious? That's hilarious! I never would have guessed that".

Jennifer smiled and nodded.

"We love storm season around here". They both cracked up laughing.

"Drew was a 3 times a week husband, but that's because he spent the rest of his time doing it with everyone else".

"Three times a week? That's it?"

"That's a normal amount, Jennifer. Most couples have sex every other day or every two days."

"Wow."

"Are you saying you and Jonathan aren't like most couples?"

"We rarely miss a day. Sometimes we can't make it through the day without doing it again".

Susan looked stunned.

"I knew you guys were active, but…wow".

"We love each other, and we love being together. We can't get enough of each other. This is the first time I have been able to participate in something at the office, because he always says that he wouldn't be able to concentrate if I was around".

"We should all be so lucky to find that".

"Yes, you should. And now that your kids are older, maybe it's time you started dating again."

"Perhaps it is. I wouldn't know where to start, but dinners out would be nice."

"When Jonathan and I first started dating, I couldn't wait to see him for dinners, or breakfasts, or whatever we arranged. And yes, we got engaged crazy fast. But our relationship grew after that, and I found myself wanting to be wherever he was. Didn't matter where he was or what he was doing-I wanted to be part of it. Like, take us sleeping for example. Both of us sleep better when the other one is there, or touching us. We don't always have to be having sex, sometimes just being close to each other is enough".

"That's so nice. So, how do I get back into the dating game?"

"Well, you could always try going to single bars. Or we could set you up, if we have any single friends. Let me think… Jack is gone too much, because he's always flying us around. You wouldn't be interested in anyone at the office. I am sure I can find someone, I just need some time".

Jennifer looked at the clock. It was almost 5:30.

She made Susan and herself another cocktail.

They were sitting on the couch, chatting when Jonathan walked in.

"Man, I am glad to be home. There's a huge storm coming in off the coast".

Jennifer and Susan burst into laughter, the kind that takes your breath away.

Jonathan looked at them like they were crazy.

"What's so funny?"


	5. Chapter 5

"Nothing, honey. We are just being silly". Jennifer leaned up to kiss him.

Jonathan looked at her like he was trying to believe her.

He turned to Susan and extended his hand.

"Hi Susan, how are you?"

She grabbed his hand and smiled.

"I'm fine, thank you".

"Glad to hear it".

"Darling, would you like a cocktail?"

"Sure. I am going to go change, I'll be right back down".

Jennifer got up and made him a cocktail and then sat back on the couch with Susan.

"How do you balance the home life and work life?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, like how do you work all day, and then have dinner ready for him when he gets home and the house straight? I mean, at least with it just being me at the house, I am not worried about what the other person is going to do for dinner or if the house is neat".

"Well, for starters, I don't really work all day. When I am writing, I do it from here, most of the time. I don't have anything planned for dinner tonight. I guess he and I can grill something together quickly, or defrost something in the freezer. I do make a lot of freezer meals, that we keep on hand. You will figure it out, I promise".

"I hope so".

She stood up to go.

"Well, thank you for a very lovely afternoon, and thank you, most of all, for your friendship and caring about me".

Jennifer stood up to hug her.

"Friends take care of friends, always. If you need me, I want you to call me. I don't care what time it is, I mean that. You are one of the only people who has our bedroom line". She pointed a finger at her. "Day or night".

"Got it".

Susan took the suicide note, crumpled it and handed it to Jennifer.

"Throw this away for me?"

"With pleasure".

Jonathan came back downstairs just as Susan and Jennifer got to the door.

"Susan, you leaving already?"

"Yes, I need to go. It's been fun though. Thanks again, Jennifer".

Jennifer closed the door behind her and then turned to embrace Jonathan.

"I am so glad you are home".

They walked to the couch, with their arms around each other.

"So, I take it the talk went well?"

They sat on the couch, and she handed him his cocktail.

"I think so. She's so overwhelmed, and the whole situation with Drew has been hard on her".

"What situation? He's still in prison, isn't he?"

"Yes. I mean, how he treats her from prison. He sends her letters asking her to send him money for his commissary needs, even though his mom gives him money each month. And then he tells the kids that because Susan won't give him money, that means he can't call them on their birthdays, or send them letters, and that if she doesn't care about him enough to make sure that they have a good relationship, she must not care about them either. So they take it out on her, and then when they do go visit him, if it goes wrong, they take it out on her for that too. And neither one of them are living at home and hardly talk to her and it just overwhelms her and she got depressed".

"That's horrible".

"Yes, it is. She said she never dated after the divorce because the kids asked her not to, but now that they are older, it should be alright. Dating isn't marriage. I really felt bad for her, darling. She tried to do everything right to get them through this, and they are still treating her as if she didn't do anything at all".

"Well, I am glad that she's ok. She's a good friend, the world would be a sad place without her".

"I agree".

She sipped her cocktail and then looked at him.

"What do you want for dinner, darling?"

"How about we order in Chinese?"

"That sounds amazing".

She grabbed the phone and placed their order, and then snuggled up to him again.

She turned to face him and kissed his jawbone.

"I hope you know that I love you more than anything, darling, and I would be completely lost without you. You mean more to me than anyone or anything else".

She kissed his lips. She could never get enough of his lips.

"I hope you know that I feel the same way about you, honey. We are in this thing called life together".

"Always". He kissed her and held her close.

"I made a decision today".

"What is it?"

"Well, I want to start that hotline, like I told you. But I couldn't find a place that felt right. So, I bought the building behind Hart Industries today, and we are going to expand and it will be there. And I think we are going to name it either the Los Angeles Crisis Center, and have "In Memory of Allyson Hanover" underneath that, or we will name it the Allyson Hanover Crisis Center".

"That's a lovely sentiment".

"I also want to have a plaque or something on the wall with her picture, so that people know that she was a real person. But, then again, we might not want people to know where it is, for the safety of our volunteers. There's a lot to figure out".

"One step at a time, darling".

She ran her hand over his chest and tried to reassure him.

"So, they packed up all the donations, and labeled the boxes and put them on their truck. Before I left the office today, I sent an email to everyone that tomorrow is the last day for donations. If we get anything, I will call you and you can come down. If we don't, then the next day I will call the packers and have them come pack them up or we can pack them up, whatever, and I will have the company take the donations to the shelter. You and I can go there together to give the donations to them".

"That sounds great".

"I am so appreciative that you agreed to help out with this. We couldn't have done it so well without you".

He kissed the tip of her nose.

"You know I will do anything for you, darling".

Their dinner arrived soon after, and after they ate, they went upstairs to relax. The storm arrived, but in the form of heavy rain, not a lot of thunder. Jennifer changed into a soft pink negligee, that she knew Jonathan liked.

She joined him in bed, and he took his pillow and placed it at the foot of the bed.

"I know what that means". She kissed him, and then leaned over and got the tingly muscle rub. Just as she was about to put some in her hand, he took it from her.

"This is for you, darling".

"Well, alright then". She kissed him and then laid on her stomach holding the pillow.

He straddled her back, and slipped the negligee off her shoulders. He grabbed a ponytail holder and put her hair up in a messy ponytail, and then started to rub her back.

"You have the best hands". She loved his massages.

She grew quiet, which he knew meant she was enjoying what he was doing.

"Am I hurting you?"

"Not at all, darling".

He used deep pressure around her shoulder blades, and got the kinks out of her back for her. After about an hour, she was totally relaxed.

He finished her massage with a neck and scalp massage for her, and a back scratch.

She was smiling at him and running her fingers through his hair as he rubbed her scalp.

He finished her massage, and grabbed her hand, and kissed her palm. He began to kiss her arm all the way down, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Thank you, darling. I feel amazing".

"You deserve it. You are amazing yourself".

He began to kiss her neck, and left many small kisses along her jawbone.

The rain began to pick up, and the lights flickered a few times, and then went out. Total power loss.

They sat up, and moved back towards the head of the bed. Jennifer grabbed the candles from under the nightstand and handed them to Jonathan who lit them. He then lit several more candles around the room.

"I love the room this way".

"Me too. Makes you look even more beautiful".

She grabbed his face with her hands. "You are so romantic and sweet".

She kissed him a few times and then wrapped her arms around his neck.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and laid her back on the bed.

He enveloped her lips with his, and let his hands roam all over her, feeling her everywhere he could.

She scratched his shoulders and pulled him close to her.

The room was starting to get hot, so he quickly got up and opened the windows to let some fresh air in.

He rejoined her in bed to find that she was already naked, laying there waiting for him.

He quickly took his pajama pants off, and then joined her on the bed, his need for her pressing against her with determination.

She pulled him in for a long kiss and wrapped her legs around him.

He quickly found her center, and joined their bodies together, as they rocked their hips in synchronous motion.

"Now, Jonathan….now". There was urgency in her voice.

"Ok baby".

He kissed her as he filled her, and they went over the brink together.

They laid there, quietly together, holding each other, lightly kissing each other, hardly moving.

"I love you, Red", he whispered just before falling asleep.

"I love you too Jonathan Charles". She kissed his forehead and played with his hair a bit, before he fell asleep on top of her.

She tried to ease out from under him, but it was no use. She wrapped her arms around him and fell asleep.

***A few hours later***

It was about 4 a.m. They were both fast asleep. The power came back on, and all the lights in their bedroom were on. The alarm system started blinking. The gate intercom was making that noise it made when the gate reset itself.

"Ohhh", moaned Jennifer as she tried to shield her eyes.

She started poking Jonathan.

"Jonathan…honey…..wake up…."

"Again? Fine with me…".

"No, not that. The lights came back on, and you are on top of me. We need to reposition".

"Oh, sorry darling".

He moved off her and got up to close the windows and reset the alarm. She blew out the candles in the room and then turned all the lights off except the one on his side of the bed. She went and got each of them some water, and then came back to bed.

He made sure the gate was secure and the alarm was on, and then joined her in bed.

"Sorry for falling asleep on you, are you ok?"

"I'm ok".

She kissed him and then rolled over and climbed under the covers.

He laid beside her and wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you".

"Love you too".

They fell back asleep and slept all night, wrapped up together.

Jennifer woke up again at 9, and saw that Jonathan was still in bed with her.

"Shit! Jonathan, wake up. We overslept".

"What?"

He sat up, and looked at her, before looking at the clock.

"Oh, damn. I forgot to reset the alarm when the power came back on".

He jumped up and got in the shower, while Jennifer called the office and told Deanne he would be in shortly.

"That's fine. He didn't have anything on his calendar this morning anyways".

"Perfect, thanks Deanne".

Jennifer went downstairs and made him breakfast to go, and coffee for the both of them.

He found her in the kitchen.

"I called Deanne and she said you didn't have anything on the calendar this morning, so you really aren't late. And I'm sorry I forgot to reset the alarm".

"It's not your fault, babe".

"I made you a bagel to go, and here is your coffee".

"I love you so much, you know that? I hope tonight, the power goes out again".

"Yeah, me too. And I love you more".

She leaned up and kissed him a few times, and then he headed to the office.

"I'll call you if we have any more donations, darling. And if we don't- I might just call you anyways".

She blew him a kiss as she took her coffee upstairs.

***The next day***

Jennifer pulled up to Hart Industries and parked. She headed inside to Jonathan's office. She printed off the list of what had been donated, as well as the itemized list that she was going to give to the shelter so they could manage the donations.

She was in Jonathan's office, when he came back from his meeting. She was standing behind his desk stapling the papers together, when he suddenly pulled her onto his lap.

"Jonathan!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you".

She turned and kissed him, and then turned back to the table.

"You know, I don't have to be in a meeting for another hour… want me to put a sock on the door?"

"Jonathan, behave yourself!" She tweaked his nose.

"It's ok, nobody will mind. They probably assume we do it in here anyways."

She was horrified at the thought.

"And you can get as loud as you want, I soundproofed the room".

"Would you stop? Honestly!"

She leaned closer to him.

"And you said you liked it loud, darling".

"Oh, I do".

He kissed her.

"I can be the big bad boss man, and you can be my topless secretary".

"Jonathan, you are incorrigible".

She kissed him and then got up off his lap.

"Where are you going?"

"We have to take the donations to the shelter, Jonathan. You have a meeting soon".

"Ok, you drive a hard bargain but I suppose you are right."

He picked up the phone and arranged for the moving company to come right away and pick up their truck and deliver it to the shelter.

"Shall we?"

"We shall". She handed him his keys and grabbed her purse.

***Hailey's House***

Jonathan and Jennifer pulled up to Hailey's House and parked. He leaned over and kissed her and then they went inside.

They asked to speak with the director of the shelter, and waited while the employees went to get her.

A few minutes later, a cute lady with brown hair and glasses, who looked to be in her late 30's, came out and extended a hand to them.

"Hi, I am Quinn Alexander, the director here at Hailey's House. How can I help you?"  
"Hi. I am Jonathan Hart, and this is my wife, Jennifer".

She shook hands with both of them.

"I own Hart Industries, and every year we collect some kind of donation from our employees, and then make a charitable donation to a charity that fits it. This year, we chose your shelter to be the recipient. We collected gently used clothes, purses, bags, shoes, and accessories for you guys to pass out here at the shelter to those in need".

"This is wonderful! We are so appreciative! Thank you so much".

Jennifer handed her the papers.

"I printed off a list that has every item that was donated, for your inventory purposes. And this spread sheet shows has each item, plus the color and size, and they are organized and divided by type".

"This is amazing, above and beyond".

"We also went through each item, and checked the pockets and the zippers and all that, so you wouldn't have to. Everything has been washed and is packed into boxes".

"Wonderful! How many boxes do you have?"

Just then, they heard the beeping of the truck backing up to the door.

"An entire semi full".

Her eyes fell open.

She thanked them profusely, and then began to assemble her staff.

"Hart Industries paid for the packers of this company to come unpack you. These gentlemen will unload the truck and put the boxes wherever you like, and then the packers will be here after lunch to unpack and put away every item in the boxes".

Quinn had tears in her eyes.

"This is such a blessing. We cannot thank you enough, Mr. and Mrs. Hart".

"Our pleasure".

Jennifer turned to Jonathan.

"Shall we?"

"We shall".

They said their goodbyes, and then Jonathan tipped the movers and he and Jennifer headed back to the office.

***Epilogue***

Six months later, almost to the day, Jennifer woke up with her husband. They got ready together and had a little breakfast, before driving to Hart Industries together.

About 30 minutes after they arrived at the office, they took the elevator to the 4th floor, and then took the new walkway over to the new building. The press were all standing around, waiting on the Harts to make their statement.

Jonathan and Jennifer held hands as they walked up to the podium. Just before they got to it, he turned to her, as he always did, and she gave him a good luck kiss, before they continued to the podium.

"Hello, thank you all for coming. Jennifer and I appreciate it very much. About 6 months or so ago, I began to receive some emails that were pretty troubling. They were sent anonymously, and they seemed to be from an employee, who was in need of some care. I had no idea who the sender was, so that meant I had no way of helping this person. Unfortunately, a few weeks after I received the first email, this person's life ended as a result of domestic violence. At that time, I had the idea to start a hotline. I realize that while I tell everyone who works for me and with me that my door is always open, they might not feel comfortable asking me for help. But when you need help, you need help. And if you can't come to me, then I hope that you get help somewhere. So, I had the idea for this hotline, where people can call in anonymously, and get help and resources for their problems. We started planning, and before we knew it, the renovations of the building started, and here we are. So, some facts about this center. It will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It will be manned by volunteers and they have all been and will all be trained on how to properly handle crisis calls. This call center isn't only for my employees, it's for everyone in the city as well. We will take all kinds of calls, from those in crisis to those who just need someone to listen to. It is our sincere hope, that someone who finds themselves on the brink of a mental crisis or in dire straits and without any options, will call this hotline and let someone help them resolve their problems before they do something drastic that they can't come back from. So, I present to you, ladies and gentlemen, the Los Angeles Crisis Center".

The curtain was pulled away, as everyone applauded. There was a ribbon across the front door, and Jonathan and Jennifer positioned themselves behind it.

He handed her the scissors and then wrapped his hands around hers and they counted to three and cut the ribbon together.

She gave him a huge hug, and then the volunteers went inside and got set up.

Jonathan answered some questions for reporters and then after all the hubbub had died down, he and Jennifer walked back to his office.

They came in to his office, and he went over to the bar, and poured them both some champagne.

He added some orange juice to their glasses, and then handed it to Jennifer.

"To Allyson. May she finally be at peace and may the crisis center help someone in a situation similar to hers".

"And may her abuser never have a moment's peace ever again".

"I'll drink to that!"

They clinked glasses, kissed and took a drink.

Jennifer drank another swallow of her mimosa and then set it down.

"Ok darling, I must run. I will see you at home tonight, and dinner will be waiting".

"I love you, be careful, have a good day, and always remember you are the only one for me".

"You will forever be my always".

They leaned in for a long, slow, passionate kiss.


End file.
